Fitness activity monitoring systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Apparatus, systems, and methods for monitoring the performance of an individual during a fitness activity are disclosed. A method of monitoring the performance of a participant engaged in a fitness activity includes receiving a GPS signal during the fitness activity at a portable fitness device used by the participant; determining participant performance data based on the received GPS signal; at a stationary position beacon, transmitting location data associated with the location of the stationary position beacon; at a mobile participant receiver supported by the participant, receiving the location data from the stationary position beacon; and modifying the participant performance data based on the data received from the stationary position beacon.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/184,638, filed Jun. 16, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/335,629, filed Dec. 22, 2011, both of which areincorporated herein in their entireties by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to fitness activity monitoring. Moreparticularly, embodiments of the present invention are directed tosystems and methods for monitoring the performance of a fitness activityparticipant.

Background Art

Participation in fitness activities, such as a competitive racing event,can be important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and individualwell-being. Technology has resulted in the development of systemscapable of monitoring information about the individuals engaged in theseactivities. For example, some competitive race events include chiptiming systems that may monitor the location of a participant during therace. These systems, however, may be limited to only providing locationand timing information at certain points along the race course.Moreover, these systems may not be capable of providing otherperformance information to the participant during the race, such as,pace, speed, and distance, for example. Fitness monitoring systems andmethods are needed that provide accurate real-time information toparticipants of these activities. Providing racing participants withaccurate real-time information and performance data can enable anathlete to better control his performance and adapt the performance overthe course of the race in order to ideally spend the availableresources. In addition, those that watch fitness activities may enjoythe excitement of the competition and may wish to monitor theperformance of one or more participants. Monitoring the performance of aracing participant is not only useful from an entertainment perspective,but can, for example, provide a comparison of the physical performancesof different participants. Moreover, monitored performance data may beused for supervising the physical condition of an athlete (e.g., bymedical staff) in order to prevent injuries or other health threats.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of monitoringthe performance of a participant engaged in a fitness activity,comprising: receiving a GPS signal during the fitness activity at aportable fitness device used by the participant; determining participantperformance data based on the received GPS signal; at a stationaryposition beacon, transmitting location data associated with the locationof the stationary position beacon; at a mobile participant transceiversupported by the participant, receiving the location data from thestationary position beacon; and modifying the participant performancedata based on the data received from the stationary position beacon. Thesteps of the method may be executed using at least one processor,provided on the portable fitness device, the mobile participanttransceiver, the position beacon, and/or a remote server, for example.

In another embodiment, a method of monitoring the performance of aparticipant engaged in a competitive race having a predetermined route,comprises: determining participant performance data based on a GPSsignal received by a portable fitness device used by the participantduring the race; from a stationary position beacon positioned at apredetermined location along the route, transmitting location dataassociated with the location of the stationary position beacon; at amobile participant transceiver supported by the participant, receivingthe location data from the stationary position beacon; and modifying theparticipant performance data based on the data received from thestationary position beacon. The steps of the method may be executedusing at least one processor, provided on the portable fitness device,the mobile participant transceiver, the position beacon, and/or a remoteserver, for example.

In another embodiment, a system for monitoring the performance of aparticipant engaged in a competitive race having a predetermined route,comprises: a plurality of stationary position beacons positioned atpredetermined locations along the route each transmitter wirelesslytransmitting location data associated with the race; and a portablefitness device used by the participant during the race for determiningparticipant performance data based on a GPS signal received by theportable fitness device and modifying the performance data based atleast on the transmitter location data. The methods described herein maybe implemented in any combination of hardware and/or software, i.e.,computer programs.

In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method of monitoring theperformance of a participant engaged in a fitness activity, preferably arace, includes: receiving a GPS signal during the fitness activity at aportable fitness device used by the participant; determining participantperformance data based on the received GPS signal; from a stationaryposition beacon, receiving location data associated with the location ofthe stationary position beacon; and modifying the participantperformance data based on the data received from the stationary positionbeacon.

Embodiments of the present invention may include one or more featuresdescribed in commonly owned U.S. Publication No. 2011/0082641, entitled“Methods and Computer Program Products for Providing Information About aUser During a Physical Activity,” U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/836,421, filed Jul. 14, 2010 and entitled “Fitness MonitoringMethods, Systems and Program Products, and Applications Thereof,” andU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/836,416, filed Jul. 14, 2010 andentitled “Location-Aware Fitness Monitoring Methods, Systems, andProgram Products, and Applications Thereof,” the disclosures of whichare hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a partof the specification, illustrate the present invention and, togetherwith the description, further serve to explain the principles of theinvention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to makeand use the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fitness activity monitoring systemincluding a stationary position beacon according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a stationary position beacon systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a stationary position beacon system alonga race course according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of fitness monitoring system according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fitness activity monitoring systemincluding a separate mobile participant transceiver according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting a method of monitoring the performanceof a fitness activity participant according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting a method of monitoring the performanceof a fitness activity participant according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a fitness activity monitoring system incommunication with a spectator according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a fitness monitoring device displaydepicting an alert based corrected participant performance dataaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a spectator device display depictingan alert based corrected participant performance data according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a fitness monitoring device displayand/or a spectator device display depicting corrected participantperformance data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference toembodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich like reference numerals are used to indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements. References to “one embodiment”, “anembodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodimentdescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include theparticular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrasesare not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within theknowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure,or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or notexplicitly described.

The following examples are illustrative, but not limiting, of thepresent invention. Other suitable modifications and adaptations of thevariety of conditions and parameters normally encountered in the field,and which would be apparent to those skilled in the art, are within thespirit and scope of the invention.

Embodiments of the present invention include a system 10 for monitoringthe performance of one or more individuals during a fitness activity. Asdiscussed below, the fitness activity includes a predetermined route(e.g., a race course) to be traversed by the participant during thefitness activity. In various embodiments, the present invention includesa system 10 for monitoring the performance of a participant (e.g., anathlete) 100 engaged in the fitness activity. With reference to FIG. 1,the system includes a portable fitness monitoring device 102 used by thefitness activity participant 100 and adapted to determine and/ortransmit real-time performance data associated with the participantduring the fitness activity. The performance data may include location,pace, speed, distance, and other data associated with the participant'sperformance during the fitness activity. The portable fitness monitoringdevice 102 is in communication with a fitness activity server 112 over anetwork 110 and may communicate the performance data of the participant100 to the server 112. As will be appreciated, in an embodiment, thenetwork 110 may be the internet, a Bluetooth network, GSM, WLAN, WAN, orother suitable communication network. In an alternate embodiment, thenetwork may be a private network or intranet, such as, for example, anetwork dedicated to a particular fitness activity (e.g., the New YorkCity Marathon). Other suitable communication networks may be used. Insome embodiments, the performance data may be communicated and/orreceived after completion of the fitness activity.

The system 10 further includes a position beacon system 200 disposed atpredetermined distances along the predetermined route. The positionbeacon system 200 is directly or indirectly in communication with theportable fitness monitoring device 102 and/or the fitness activityserver 112 and transmits a signal associated with its predeterminedlocation along the route. In one embodiment, the signal includestime-stamped location information that indicates the location of thebeacon system 200 and the time at which the signal was transmitted suchthat participant performance data (e.g., location, speed, pace,distance) may be precisely determined either alone or in conjunctionwith additional data. For example, the beacon signal information may beused in conjunction with GPS data acquired by the portable fitnessdevice 102. In one embodiment, after receiving the beacon signal, thesystem 10 modifies participant performance data based at least on thebeacon signal information. In this manner, in one embodiment themonitoring system 10 may provide more accurate participant performancedata during the fitness activity, including participant location, thanwhich data may be provided by the portable fitness monitoring device 102alone.

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the portablefitness monitoring device 102 may be a device such as, for example, amobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a music fileplayer (e.g. an MP3 player), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, anintelligent article for wearing (e.g. a fitness monitoring garment,wrist band, or watch), a dongle (e.g. a small hardware device that iscapable of physically coupling to a first electronic device and/orwirelessly coupling to additional electronic devices), or any othersuitable device dedicated or non-dedicated to providing the monitoringmethods described herein. The device may be supported by the participant100 such that it may be easily used while engaged in the fitnessactivity. In one embodiment, the device may be mounted to the body ofthe participant 100. For example, the device may be arm-mounted,chest-mounted, leg-mounted, or foot-mounted. In one embodiment, portablefitness monitoring device 102 may be hand held.

In one embodiment, as shown, for example, in FIG. 1, the portablefitness monitoring device 102 comprises a global positioning system(GPS) equipped device. The system 10 may include GPS satellites 20 thatcontinuously emit GPS signals 22 which may allow the portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 to continuously determine its location, speed,pace, distance traveled, bearing, and similar performance data accordingto known techniques. As will be appreciated, the fitness monitoringdevice 102 includes the necessary GPS receiver/transmitter to receiveand transmit participant performance data. The portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 may continuously transmit performance data to theserver 112 or other device (e.g., a spectator device, as describedbelow), or may transmit at a predetermined interval for power savingpurposes.

The portable fitness device 102 may also be adapted to measure orreceive data regarding various performance parameters associated withthe participant's performance during the fitness activity. As shown inFIG. 1, in one embodiment the system 10 may include one or moreadditional sensors 104 and 106 for measuring performance parameters ofthe participant 100. For example, the system 10 may include a heart ratesensor 104 for determining heart rate information during the fitnessactivity, and an accelerometer 106. In one embodiment, the accelerometer106 may be used in conjunction with a GPS-enabled portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 to determine the location of the participant 100according to known techniques. For example, data provided by theaccelerometer 106 may be used to provide a “dead reckoning” of theparticipant's location when the GPS signal is interrupted (e.g., due tothe participant traversing the route under a bridge). The system 10 mayinclude other sensors including, but not be limited to, a pedometer,pulsimeter, breath rate sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, hydrationsensor, thermometers, or other suitable sensors for detectinginformation that may be used to measure and/or calculate performanceparameters. Each of the sensors of the system 10 may be in communicationwith the portable fitness monitoring device 102 in a wireless and/orwireless connection and may provide performance data regarding theparticipant 100 during the fitness activity. In one embodiment, theperformance data may be transmitted from the portable fitness monitoringdevice 102 to the server 112 and/or another device (e.g., a spectatordevice, as described below) over the network 110. In some embodimentsthe performance data is stored on the portable fitness monitoring device102.

The fitness activity may include any fitness activity engaged in by theparticipant 100 and including the position beacon system 200. In oneembodiment, the fitness activity is a competitive fitness activity,including, but not limited to, a foot race, a bicycle race, a skiing orsnowboarding race, or other fitness activity in which the physicallocation of the participant 100 changes as a function of time. Thefitness activity may be of any desired length and may be a timed event.For example, the fitness activity may comprise an organized competitiverunning race such as the New York City Marathon, the Army Ten Miler inWashington, D.C., or a 5K high school cross-country race. In anembodiment, the fitness activity may be a self-organized activity. Forexample, a participant may organize a fitness activity to be engaged inwith one or more individuals, such as family, friends, or members of asocial network. The social network may include Facebook® friends,LinkedIn® contacts, Twitter® followers, members of a athlete communityon a fitness website, and the like. In one embodiment, the fitnessactivity includes a predetermined route to be traversed by one or moreparticipants. The predetermined route may be provided by a raceorganizer, for example, as would be the case for a competitive runningrace like the New York City Marathon. In some embodiments, thepredetermined route may comprise a route created and scheduled by theparticipant. For example, the predetermined route may be created andscheduled according to embodiments described in U.S. Publication No.2011/0082641, entitled “Methods and Computer Program Products forProviding Information About a User During a Physical Activity.” In oneembodiment, the predetermined route may be created and scheduled, forexample, to be a 5K race that takes place every Wednesday at the samelocation and time, and may be saved in the user's account on server 112.The server 112 may store information related to the fitness activity,including the predetermined route of the fitness activity, which may bedownloaded to the portable fitness monitoring device 102. In someembodiments, the fitness activity may comprise a vehicle race, such as,for example, a car or boat race.

With renewed reference to FIG. 1, in one embodiment the position beaconsystem 200 includes a plurality of race mats 202. Each mat 202 may be asubstantially flat member disposed along the ground of the route of thefitness activity at a predetermined location. The mat 202 may includeone or more antennae or transmitters 204 for transmitting uniquelocation and timing information associated with the position of theparticular mat 202. The transmitters 204 are adapted to transmit thesignal using known technologies including, but not limited to, RFID,Bluetooth, magnetic field, near field communication systems, or othersuitable technologies adapted to provide a signal that includestime-stamped location information. In one embodiment, the transmitters204 may include a receiver and be adapted to transmit and receive data.In one embodiment, the one or more transmitters 204 may be embedded inthe mat 202 or may be disposed on the mat 202. The mat 202 is preferablysized and shaped to accommodate the traversal of a plurality ofparticipants 100 during the fitness activity. For example, the mat 202may stretch across the width of a road used in a race course, and mayhave a substantially low height profile so as not to interfere with thegait of the race participants. During a fitness activity, each mat 202transmits a signal that includes time-stamped location information. Whenthe participant 100 is proximate to the mat 202 (e.g., as theparticipant 100 crosses over the mat), the signal is received by theportable fitness monitoring device 102. The portable fitness monitoringdevice 102 may also receive location data from the GPS signal 22 fromGPS satellites 20. Based at least on the position beacon system 200signal, the precise location of the participant may be determined.

With reference to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the position beacon system200 includes a tower 206 and one or more transmitters 204 connectedthereto that may be used in addition to, or instead of, mat 202. Thetransmitters 204 may be provided in a side arrangement and/or anoverhead arrangement, as shown, in order to transmit the signal suchthat it may be received either directly or indirectly at the portablefitness monitoring device 102. As will be appreciated by those ofordinary skill in the art, the position beacon system 200 may bepositioned such that the signal is received by the portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 when the participant is proximate to the system200. For example, the signal may be received when the participant 200 ison top of the mat 202, next to the tower 206, under the tower 206 orotherwise proximate to the system 200. Other suitable embodiments of aposition beacon system 200, including systems that do not include a mat202 or a tower 206 as an antenna support structure, may be used totransmit a unique time-stamped location signal to the participant 200along the predetermined route of the fitness activity. In oneembodiment, the position beacon system 200 may include light barrier ormagnetic field technology.

As shown in FIG. 3, the position beacon system 200 including a pluralityof time-stamped location signal transmitters (such as, for example, on aplurality of mats 202 or other suitable position beacon supportstructures, such as, for example, towers 206) are disposed atpredetermined distances along a route 120 of the fitness activity (e.g.,a race course). For a competitive race, for example, mats 202 may beplaced at the race start line and finish line and at predeterminedpositions intermediate to the start line and finish line. By way offurther example, in a marathon, mats 202 may be placed at each milemarker along the route 120 of the race, as shown schematically in FIG.3. Mats 202 may be provided at other locations including, but notlimited to, aid stations, water stations, and race course landmarks. Inone embodiment, the position beacon system 200 may be provided by a raceorganizer, for example, as may be the case for a competitive runningrace like the New York City Marathon. As shown in FIG. 3, the portablefitness monitoring device 102 may receive a GPS signal 22 from GPSsatellite 20. The portable fitness monitoring device 102 may directly orindirectly interact with the position beacon system 200 to receivelocation and/or timing data from the transmitter 204 and modifyparticipant performance data accordingly to provide more accurate data.

In one embodiment, the position beacon system 200 may include acontroller 210, as shown in FIG. 3. The controller 210 may be incommunication with the mats 202 and may provide timing and other racedata to the mats 202 for transmission to the participants 200. Forexample, the controller 210 may include an official race clock on whichtiming calculations may be based. In one embodiment, the controller 210may be centrally located on the race course 120 so as to efficientlycommunicate with the mats 202. In one embodiment, multiple controllers210 may be used. The controller 210 may be administered by a raceorganizer, for example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the portable fitness monitoring device 102 and theposition beacon system 200 are adapted to communicate to provide thefitness monitoring methods of the present invention. In one exemplaryembodiment, the portable fitness monitoring device 102 includes a GPSreceiver 12 for receiving GPS signals 22 from satellites 20. In someembodiments, receiver 12 may be a transceiver adapted to receive andtransmit data. Using the GPS signal data, a processor 14 calculatesparticipant performance data (e.g., location, speed, pace, anddistance). The portable fitness monitoring device 102 then transmitsparticipant performance data to server 112 and/or other devices withinthe monitoring system 10 over network 110. For example, as will beappreciated, in embodiments in which the portable fitness monitoringdevice 102 is a smartphone, this may be accomplished using, for example,a GSM module on the device. In one embodiment, portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 may also include local receiver 13 for receivingdata from the position beacon system 200. In one embodiment, localreceiver 13 may be a passive receiver. In some embodiments, localreceiver 13 may comprise a transceiver adapted to receive and transmitdata. In one exemplary embodiment, local receiver 13 may include anactive or passive RFID tag capable of receiving a signal from thetransmitter 204 of the mat 202 and transmitting data in reply toreceiving the signal. In one embodiment, local receiver 13 may beincluded within GPS receiver 12. In another embodiment, local receiver13 is discrete from GPS receiver 12. In one embodiment, as shown, forexample, in FIG. 5, local receiver 13 may be embodied in a race chip 108discrete from portable fitness monitoring device 102, but adapted tocommunicate with the device 102. In this manner, the position beaconsystem 200 may indirectly communicate location and/or timing data to theportable fitness monitoring device 102 (i.e., via the race chip 108). Inone embodiment, race chip 108 may be mounted on the shoe of theparticipant 100 or inside the shoe (e.g., within a cavity in the sole ofthe shoe), for example.

As shown in FIG. 4, portable fitness monitoring device 102 may furtherinclude the processor 14, a visual and/or audible display 15, a memory16, a power supply 17 such as a battery 17 (which may be exchangeable orrechargeable), a user input 18, and a speaker 19. Processor 14 isgenerally a unit that processes or controls computer readable mediasteps and commands associated with operation of portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 and interaction between portable fitnessmonitoring device 102, server 112, and position beacon system 200. Aswill be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the portablefitness monitoring device 102 components are operably connected toprovide the functions and interactions necessary to provide the fitnessmonitoring methods described herein.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, in one embodiment, mat 202 (or tower206) may further include a power supply 207, such as a battery 207(which may be exchangeable or rechargeable), for powering thetransmitter 204, and a processor 208 that processes or controls computerreadable media steps and commands associated with operation of mat 202and interaction between mat 202, server 112, and portable fitnessmonitoring device 102. In one embodiment, position beacon system 200 mayfurther include memory, display, and user input components as will beappreciated. One or more of the components of system 200 may be providedon controller 210 so as to simplify maintenance and operation of theplurality of mats 202. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skillin the art, the mat 202 components are operably connected to provide thefunctions and interactions necessary to provide the fitness monitoringmethods described herein.

The portable fitness monitoring device 102, the position beacon system200, including the mat 202, and the fitness activity server 112 areadapted to interact with one another to provide the fitness monitoringmethods of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a process flowchart for amethod 600 of monitoring the performance of a participant 100 in afitness activity according to an embodiment of the present invention.Method 600 may include at least steps 602, 604, 606, 608, and 610.Embodiments of system 10, as described herein, will be used to describemethod 600, but the method is not intended to be limited thereto. Step602 includes receiving a GPS signal during the fitness activity at theportable fitness monitoring device 102. In step 604, participantperformance data, including one or more of the participant's currentlocation, pace, speed, and distance traveled may be determined basedupon the received GPS signal. In one embodiment, calculations may beperformed by processor 14 on the portable fitness monitoring device 102according to known techniques for calculating location, speed, pace, anddistance, for example, from time-stamped GPS signals. In anotherembodiment, some or all of the calculations may be performed on fitnessactivity server 112.

In step 606, a unique time-stamped location signal is transmitted from atransmitter 204 of a stationary position beacon system mat 202. Thesignal may include the location of the mat 202 and the time at which thesignal was transmitted. In step 608, the time-stamped location signal isreceived by a local transceiver 13 supported by the participant 100. Thelocal transceiver 13 may be part of the portable fitness monitoringdevice 102, or may be a separate device in wireless communication withthe beacon system transmitter 204.

In step 610, based on the time-stamped location data received from thestationary position beacon system mat 202, the system 10 modifies theparticipant performance data. For example, due to error tolerances orcommunication difficulties with GPS satellites 20 (e.g., when theparticipant 100 traverses under a bridge) the participant locationdetermined based on the GPS signal received by the portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 may be imprecise. Because the exact location ofthe stationary position beacon system mat 202 is known, this locationinformation may be used to determine a more precise location of theparticipant 100. In one embodiment, the location information receivedfrom the mat 202 may replace the location data determined based on theGPS signal alone. In another embodiment, the location data determinedbased on the GPS signal may be adjusted based on the locationinformation received from the mat 202. For example, an average of thetwo sets of coordinates may be used as the modified participant locationdata. Because the participant location information is correlated withthe time it was received, based on the time-stamped location signalreceived from the mat 202, other participant performance data includingspeed, pace, and distance traveled may be modified to provide moreaccurate data. Participant performance data previously determined duringthe fitness activity also may be updated accordingly.

In one embodiment, the updated participant performance data may betransmitted to server 112. In one embodiment, the updated participantperformance data may be displayed to the participant 100 on the display15 of the portable fitness monitoring device 102. The data may becontinuously displayed during the fitness activity and also may bedisplayed after the fitness activity has been completed. In oneembodiment, calculations necessary to modify the participant performancedata may be performed by processor 14 on the portable fitness monitoringdevice 102 according to known techniques for calculating location,speed, pace, and distance, for example, from time-stamped GPS signals.In another embodiment, some or all of the calculations may be performedon fitness activity server 112. These calculations may be performedduring and/or after the fitness activity.

FIG. 7 is a process flowchart for a method 700 of monitoring theperformance of a participant 100 engaged in a competitive race having apredetermined route 120 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. Method 700 may include at least steps 702, 704, 706, and 708.Embodiments of system 10, as described herein will be used to describemethod 700, but the method is not intended to be limited thereto. Instep 702, participant performance data, including the participant'scurrent location, pace, speed, and distance traveled may be determinedbased upon a received GPS signal received by portable fitness monitoringdevice 102. In one embodiment, calculations may be performed byprocessor 14 on the portable fitness monitoring device 102 according toknown techniques for calculating location, velocity, and bearing, forexample, from time-stamped GPS signals. In another embodiment, some orall of the calculations may be performed on fitness activity server 112.In step 704, a unique time-stamped location signal is transmitted from atransmitter 204 of a stationary position beacon system mat 202. The mat202 is placed at a predetermined location along the route 120. Forexample, a mat 202 may be placed at each mile marker of a marathon. Thesignal may include the location of the mat 202 and the time at which thesignal was transmitted. In step 706, the time-stamped location signal isreceived by a local transceiver 13 supported by the participant 100. Thelocal transceiver 13 may be part of the portable fitness monitoringdevice 102, or may be a separate device in wireless communication withthe beacon system transmitter 204. In step 708, the participantperformance data is modified based on the data received from the beaconsystem transmitter 204.

With reference to FIG. 8, in one embodiment the portable fitnessmonitoring device 102, position beacon system 200, and fitness activityserver 112 may be used to provide corrected participant performance datato a spectator 300 (on a spectator device 302, for example) who may betracking the location of the participant 100 during the fitnessactivity. The spectator may include a coach, trainer, parent,supervisor, fan, aid station attendant, doctor, or other spectator ofthe fitness activity for which accurate participant location or otherparticipant performance data may be useful. In one embodiment, anotherparticipant may be a “spectator” as they may wish to track theperformance of the participant 100. It will be understood that aspectator may not be physically viewing the participant or the race. Thespectator device 302 may be any suitable device, including, but notlimited, to those described with respect to the portable fitnessmonitoring device 102. During the fitness activity, the system 10 maysend an alert to the spectator 300 indicating that the participant iswithin a certain distance or time of reaching the spectator. During thefitness activity, the system may also send an alert to the participant100 that the spectator 300 is within a certain distance or time of theparticipant. In this manner, embodiments of the present invention mayprovide real-time location awareness of the participant and/orspectator, and provide an enhanced participation or spectatingexperience of the fitness activity for individuals involved. Forexample, having been alerted that the participant they are tracking isapproaching, an interested spectator may be informed to look for theparticipant and be ready to cheer on that individual or provide services(e.g., aid, water, equipment, etc.). Embodiments in which the locationof the participant 100 is modified or corrected based on the locationdata from the position beacon system 200 may increase the likelihood ofthe participant and spectator being able to interact during the fitnessactivity. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may includethe systems and methods, including the “Live Tracking” mobileapplication, described in co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/335,545, entitled “Fitness Monitoring Systems and Methods” filed onDec. 22, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference thereto in its entirety. As will be appreciated, a “LiveTracking” mobile application may be stored on or accessed by theportable fitness monitoring device 102 and/or the spectator device 302and may be used to track the location of the participant 100 and/orspectator 200 during the fitness activity in real-time. For example, the“Live Tracking” mobile application may be downloaded to the devices froma known mobile application market.

In embodiments of the present invention, the portable fitness monitoringdevice 102 may be used in conjunction with, or separate from, theposition beacon system 200. For example, in one embodiment, the locationof the participant 100 may be determined based on the GPS signalsreceived by the portable fitness monitoring device 102 only. Thislocation data may then be used for real-time tracking of the participant100 during the fitness activity and/or to see the route traversed by theparticipant 200, for example, when the participant is viewing a workoutsummary after a race. In one embodiment, the time-stamped location datatransmitted by the race mat 202 may be the only data used to determineother participant performance data, such as pace, speed, and distance,for example. This performance data may be used, for example, to providereal-time performance data to the participant 200 and/or spectator 300,and coaching feedback to the participant 200. In other embodiments, asdescribed above, corrected participant performance data may bedetermined using both the portable fitness monitoring device 102 and theposition beacon system 200.

The server 112 may be, for example, a telecommunication server, a webserver, or other similar types of database servers. In an embodiment,server 112 may have multiple processors and multiple shared or separatememory components such as, for example, one or more computing devicesincorporated in a clustered computing environment or server farm. Thecomputing process performed by the clustered computing environment, orserver farm, can be carried out across multiple processors located atthe same or different locations. In an embodiment, server 112 can beimplemented on a single computing device.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the server 112 may include or bein communication with a fitness database 113 that may include an accountof the participant 100 and/or spectator 300. For example, the fitnessdatabase 113 may include data storage according to embodiments describedin U.S. Publication No. 2011/0082641, entitled “Methods and ComputerProgram Products for Providing Information About a User During aPhysical Activity.” The server 112 may also include or be incommunication with a social network database 114 related to theparticipant 100 and/or spectator 300.

As will be appreciated, in an embodiment, the network 110 may be theinternet. The internet is a worldwide collection of servers, routers,switches and transmission lines that employ the Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) to communicate data. In an alternate embodiment, the networkmay be a private network or intranet, such as, for example, a networkdedicated to a particular fitness activity (e.g., the New York CityMarathon). Other suitable communication networks may be used.

Alerts regarding the location of the participant 100 and/or spectator300 may be sent to individuals, such as spectator 300, based on one ormore predetermined alert parameters. Because the location of theparticipant 100 may be corrected based on the location data from theposition beacon system 200, the alerts may be more accurate and thelikelihood of the participant 100 and spectator 300 being able tointeract during the fitness activity may be increased.

Alert parameters may be set by the participant 100 and/or the spectator300 prior to or during the fitness activity. For example, in embodimentsthat include a “Live Tracking” mobile application, the application mayprovide an interface for defining the alert parameters. The alertparameters may be stored on the server 112 and accessed by the portablefitness monitoring device 102 and/or spectator device 302 over thenetwork 110 (e.g., when a monitoring application is initiated), or maybe stored on the devices themselves.

In one embodiment, the alert parameter may be distance based. Forexample, the spectator 300 may be alerted when the participant 100 iswithin a certain distance of their present location (e.g., 200 m). Inone embodiment, the parameter may be time based and the spectator 300may be alerted when the participant 100 is within a predetermined timeof their present location. In one embodiment, this determination (i.e.,estimated time of arrival) may be made based on the current location ofthe participant 100 and performance data received by the portablefitness monitoring device 102 from one or more receivers or sensors. Forexample, the estimated time of arrival may be based on the current paceof the participant 100. Because performance data, including the pace ofthe participant may be more accurately determined using data provided bymat 202, the alerts provided may be more accurate and the likelihood ofthe participant 100 and spectator 300 being able to interact during thefitness activity may be increased.

The alerts provided to the participant 100 and/or the spectator 300 maybe visual, audible, tactile, or any combination thereof. To providethese alerts, the portable fitness monitoring device 102 and thespectator device 302 are adapted to convey information to the user inthis manner. With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, in one embodiment theportable fitness monitoring device 102 and the spectator device 302include a display 15, 303 and a speaker 19, 305, respectively. Toprovide a tactile alert, the devices may include a vibrating element(not shown), for example, or other suitable tactile element.

A visual alert may visually indicate to the participant 100 and/orspectator 300 the other's location, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 9,10, and 11. In one embodiment, the visual alert may include informationabout the fitness activity, such as, a map of the route of the fitnessactivity and may include one or more graphical symbols. The graphicalsymbols may provide specific location information and may provide anindication of the relative location between the participant and thespectator. In one embodiment, graphical symbols indicate the location ofthe participant 100 and the spectator 300 along the route. In oneembodiment, for example, the visual alert may provide a precise locationof where the spectator 300 is standing. In this manner, in someembodiments, the visual alert may include a detailed map (e.g., a Googlesatellite map) of the predetermined route of the fitness activity andthe spectator's location superimposed on the map.

As the participant 100 continues to traverse the route, the graphicalsymbol may move accordingly in real-time on the display. In oneembodiment, the depiction of the participant 100 and the spectator 300may comprise a photo or avatar of the individual. The visual alert mayinclude graphical symbols of landmarks along the course, such as, startline, finish line, mile markers, water stations, or streets andlandmarks specific to a particular event (e.g., First Avenue andLexington during the New York City Marathon). The graphical symbols,including photos and avatars, may be stored on server 112, fitnessdatabase 113, and/or social network database 114, for example. As shownin FIGS. 9 and 10, the visual alert may include text indicating that theparticipant 100 (or spectator 200) is approaching. For example, the textmay indicate that “The spectator is approaching in 30 seconds,” “Thespectator is at mile marker 20,” “The participant is approaching in 200m,” “The spectator is located on the east side of the race course atFirst Avenue and Lexington,” or “The participant just crossed the finishline.” In one embodiment, the visual alert may include one or moreadvertisements related to the fitness activity or the location of theparticipant 100 or spectator 200, for example.

An audible alert may audibly indicate to the participant 100 and/orspectator 300 that the other is approaching through device speaker 19,305 or headphones (not shown), for example. In one embodiment, theaudible alert may include a standard message that “The spectator is atmile marker 20” or “The participant is approaching in 30 seconds.” Inone embodiment, the audible alert may be a customized, pre-recordedmessage. For example, spectator 300 may pre-record a message such as“Keep it up John! I'll see you in one mile!” which may provideadditional motivation and encouragement to the participant. Alerts maybe stored on the respective devices 102, 302 or on server 112.

A tactile alert may also indicate to the participant 100 and/orspectator 300 that the other is approaching. For example, a vibratingelement of the spectator device 302 may vibrate when the participant 100is within 200 m or within a specific time (e.g., 20 seconds).

In one embodiment, visual, audible, and/or tactile alerts may be sent tothe participant 100 and/or spectator 300 at predetermined intervals,locations, distances, or times that are unrelated to the location of theother. For example, an audible message may be sent to the participant100 every 5 miles or 30 minutes of a race or when the participant orspectator arrives at a particular mile marker or landmark, for example.

In some embodiments in which portable fitness monitoring device 102 isnot phone enabled, the device is adapted to transmit GPS data over thenetwork 110. For example, portable fitness monitoring device 102 maycomprise a GPS-enabled watch adapted to transmit over the network 110(e.g., using a GSM module). In some embodiments, portable fitnessmonitoring device 102 may not include a built-in GPS receiver 12. Assuch, participant performance data may be determined based solely on thetime-stamped location data received by the device at each of theplurality of mats 202. For example, after the fitness activity aparticipant may upload the time-stamped location data from the pluralityof mats 202 and the participant's location, speed, and pace may bedetermined along the predetermined route. In some embodiments, thelocation data based only on the GPS signal 22 from the satellites 20 maybe used to provide location information to the spectator 300, and theperformance data determined only using the position beacon system 200data may be used to calculate participant performance data such asspeed, pace, and distance.

In some embodiments, the methods described herein are adapted to be usedwith multiple participants 100. As will be appreciated, data transmittedto server 112 may include identifying information unique to eachparticular participant 200 so that the data may be properly storedand/or manipulated on server 112. In addition, a spectator 300 may trackmultiple participants 100.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fullyreveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applyingknowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt forvarious applications such specific embodiments, without undueexperimentation, without departing from the general concept of thepresent invention. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications areintended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of thedisclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presentedherein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, suchthat the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is tobe interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings andguidance.

The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited byany of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be definedonly in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for enhancing interaction between aparticipant engaged in a fitness activity and a spectator, the systemcomprising: stationary position beacons disposed along a route of thefitness activity; a portable fitness monitoring device configured todetermine a location of the participant based on a received GPS signaland a signal received from the stationary position beacons; and aspectator device configured to determine a location of the spectatorbased on a received GPS signal, wherein the spectator device isconfigured to display a visual alert when a predetermined thresholdrelating to the participant is reached, wherein the predeterminedthreshold comprises a distance between the participant and thespectator, and wherein the visual alert comprises text that indicatesthe distance between the participant and the spectator.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the visual alert comprises information about thefitness activity.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual alertcomprises a map of the route of the fitness activity.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the visual alert comprises graphical symbols.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the graphical symbols provide an indicationof a relative location between the participant and the spectator.
 6. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein one of the graphical symbols indicates thelocation of the participant along the route.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the graphical symbol for the participant moves in real time asthe participant traverses the route.
 8. The system of claim 4, whereinthe graphical symbols comprise representations of landmarks along theroute.
 9. The system of claim 4, further comprising a server, the serverstoring the graphical symbols.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein thetext indicates the location of the participant.
 11. The system of claim1, wherein the visual alert comprises an advertisement related to thefitness activity.
 12. A method of enhancing interaction between aparticipant engaged in a fitness activity and a spectator, the methodcomprising: receiving a GPS signal during the fitness activity at aportable fitness device; receiving a signal from a stationary positionbeacon at the portable fitness device; determining a location of theparticipant based on the GPS signal and the signal from the stationaryposition beacon; and playing an audible alert based on the location ofthe participant, wherein the audible alert is played at predeterminedintervals; wherein the audible alert comprises a pre-recorded messagefrom the spectator.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the audiblealert comprises a message that the participant is within a predeterminedmetric of reaching the spectator.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereinthe predetermined metric comprises a distance.
 15. The method of claim13, wherein the predetermined metric comprises a time.
 16. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the predetermined intervals comprise distanceintervals.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the predeterminedintervals comprise time intervals.
 18. The method of claim 12, whereinthe audible alert is played when the participant arrives at apredetermined location.
 19. A system for enhancing interaction between aparticipant engaged in a fitness activity and a spectator, the systemcomprising: stationary position beacons disposed along a route of thefitness activity; a portable fitness monitoring device configured todetermine a location of the participant based on a received GPS signaland a signal received from the stationary position beacons; and aspectator device configured to determine a location of the spectatorbased on a received GPS signal, wherein the spectator device isconfigured to display a visual alert when a predetermined thresholdrelating to the participant is reached, wherein the predeterminedthreshold comprises a time until the participant reaches the spectator,and wherein the visual alert comprises text that indicates the timeuntil the participant reaches the spectator.
 20. The system of claim 19,wherein the visual alert comprises information about the fitnessactivity.
 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the visual alert comprisesa map of the route of the fitness activity.
 22. A system for enhancinginteraction between a participant engaged in a fitness activity and aspectator, the system comprising: stationary position beacons disposedalong a route of the fitness activity; a portable fitness monitoringdevice configured to determine a location of the participant based on areceived GPS signal and a signal received from the stationary positionbeacons; and a spectator device configured to determine a location ofthe spectator based on a received GPS signal, wherein the spectatordevice is configured to display a visual alert when a predeterminedthreshold relating to the participant is reached, wherein the visualalert comprises an advertisement related to the location of thespectator.